Tini Notebook Reading Material B

In a study by Rockefeller University, researchers removed all human-sensing proteins from the genome of the antennae of a group of mosquitos and were shocked to find that the insects could still detect their prey. The study concluded that, unlike most animals that have single-scent neuron receptors, mosquitos have neurons with multiple receptors, giving them different ways to scent humans. This increase in understanding of how a mosquito's brain receives and processes odors is a step towards altering their biting method, reducing their spread of disease, and improving the attracting odors in mosquito traps and the efficacy of insect repellents. Dr. Olena Riabinina from Durham University, who was not involved in the study, said: “We already knew that mosquitoes are hard-wired to bite humans, but this research tells us that their olfactory system is different and more complex than we thought. Interventions based on this new information could be very promising.”

Habits Of Happy People Who Live Long Lives In developed countries around the world,/ people are living longer./ But living longer does not always mean being fit,/ healthy,/ and happy./ So,/ doctors and scientists/ are now advising people to take control/ of their own health and fitness/ to make sure they can be healthy and happy/ as they grow old./ They have made a list/ of the things we should all do/ to give ourselves/ the best chance./ They advise people to have a checkup/ every year/ so that doctors can help prevent illness./ They recommend regular exercise/ and staying slim./ Eating a healthy balanced diet/ is also very important/ if we want to reduce the chances/ of developing a serious disease./ And getting enough sleep,/ looking after our mental health,/ not drinking too much alcohol,/ and not smoking/ are also essential/ to a long,/ fit,/ and healthy life./ Of course,/ some people are unlucky/ and inherit diseases from their parents./ And others become ill/ because of the environment they live/ and work in./ However,/ the message is clear./ We must take control of our bodies/ so that we have the best chance/ of living a long,/ happy,/ and healthy life./ N E W W O R D S 1. advise - to give an opinion or suggestion to someone about what should be done Ex: We advised them to save their money. 2. essential - extremely important and necessary Ex: As a fighter pilot, he knows that good vision is essential. 3. inherit - to have (a characteristic, disease, etc.) because of the genes that you get from your parents when you are born Ex: She inherited her father's deep blue eyes. D I S C US S I O N 1. How important is staying fit and healthy to you? Share your life experience 2.Could you share to us your healthy habits? 3. Do you think people are healthy these days? Think of fast food everywhere, process food, sugar, and bad environment.

According to food psychology, describing each dish carefully in a meal could make people more mindful of their meal. Charles Spence is a professor of psychology at Oxford University, who researches the factors that influence what we choose to eat and what we think about the experience. Spence found that everything around the experience changes our attitude toward food. For example, what the meals look or smell like and even what music we listen to while we eat. Serving meals on a smaller plate can control how much we eat. Our brains believe there is more food than there is. The brain can also be fooled by the tools we use. Heavier cutlery and using our hands can enhance our appreciation of food. Mugaritz restaurant in northern Spain has taken cutlery away for all courses to make people think more about how they interact with their food. Spence says that “75%-95% of what we taste, we really smell and so the aroma is really important.” We need to optimize our food experiences for this. For example, drinking coffee from a takeaway cup with a lid takes away a lot of the experience. V O C A B U L A R Y 1. fool to make (someone) believe something that is not true, to trick (someone) Ex: His disguise didn't fool anybody. 2.cutlery- forks, spoons, and knives used for serving and eating food Ex: When he came home, his entire supply of vintage brandy and best cutlery were gone. 3. enhance- intensify, increase, or further improve the quality, value, or extent of. Ex: The company is looking to enhance its earnings potential. 4. optimize- to make (something) as good or as effective as possible Ex: We need to optimize our use of the existing technology. Q U E S T I O N S: Share your thoughts. 1. Do you agree that smell is more important than taste with food? 2. Do you like to listen to music or watch TV while you eat? Why or why not? 3. Do you agree that a smaller plate will make you eat less food?. 4. Do you think that the eating habits of people have changed? Please share your thoughts.

Many of us are taught to believe that when it comes to fruits and vegetables, nothing is as nutritious as fresh produce. Fresh produce starts degrading as soon as it’s picked from the ground. Once harvested, that fruit or vegetable begins using its nutrients, breaking them down to keep its cells alive. By reaching for canned or frozen versions, are we doing a disservice to our health? In 2007, Diane Barrett, a former food science and technology researcher at the University of California, Davis, reviewed numerous studies looking into the nutritional content of fresh, frozen, and canned fruits and vegetables. She found that the rate at which nutritional value is lost varies from one product to the next. Spinach, for example, loses 100% of its vitamin C content in seven days if stored at room temperature, but only 75% if refrigerated. Carrots, by contrast, only lose 27% of their vitamin C content when stored for a week at room temperature. "The more intense heat treatment used to produce canned food shows a greater reduction in nutrients when compared to food that has been frozen," Barrett says. But as with fresh food, different nutrients in different kinds of produce degrade at different rates. Barrett found that foods with vitamins C and B retained nutrients differently than those with vitamins A and E. Her study concluded that fresh food often has the best vitamin C content, since vitamin C is highly sensitive to heat. Foods with more vitamin E and A, such as carrots and tomatoes, retained more of their nutrients after the canning process. What’s most important is to have a diverse diet, says Fatima Hachem, Senior Nutrition Officer at the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization. This can be achieved through a variety of fresh, frozen, and canned products. “You can have a balanced meal by cooking vegetables from frozen or in a can, but this doesn’t replace the importance of having fresh salads,” Hachem says. V O C A B U L A R Y 1. degrade- lower the quality of; cause to deteriorate Ex: Soil and water quality have been seriously degraded. 2. disservice- an action that harms something or someone She has done a great disservice to her cause by suggesting that violence is justifiable. 3. retain- absorb and continue to hold (a substance) Limestone is known to retain water. 4. diverse- showing a great deal of variety; very different Ex: There is a diverse range of opinions on the issue. Q U E S T I O N S: Share your thoughts. 1. Do you think eating fresh produce is healthier than eating canned or frozen produce? 2. Do you think there are some disadvantages in buying fresh produce? 3. Do you always eat fresh produce? 4. Are there some benefits from buying frozen and canned produce?

During World War 2 in 1940, the UK government initiated the “Music While You Work” program. They asked the BBC to broadcast live, upbeat music in factories to help increase the pace of munitions production for the war effort. Many people believe that this program helped to win the war. Eight decades later, listening to music while working is very common. In 2019, a survey of 2,000 workers in the UK found that around half of those surveyed regularly listen to music while they work. Alex Hill, head of Music and Operations at the London-based music consultancy MAV Music, says, “Our clients have told us that it's increased their productivity when they’ve had the right music playing in the office, in terms of staff motivation.” Can this be true – or is it wishful thinking? There are two possible ways that music in the workplace might increase productivity: by making us smarter, or, by helping us do our boring tasks. The “Mozart effect” is the idea that listening to music created by a genius can make you one too. A study in 2015 compared one music composition from Mozart with one from Beethoven. Mozart’s music increased “alpha band” brain waves – which have been linked to problem-solving, cognition, and memory. Beethoven's music had no such effect. The second theory introduced in the 1960s is the “activation theory." The idea is that people need some mental arousal to function effectively in dull jobs, such as assembly line work in factories. However, some scientists think that instead of music in the workplace increasing productivity, it's possible that we view being able to listen to music as a gift from our employers. We then convince ourselves that we are working harder to repay this apparent reward. So does music help us to be more productive in the workplace? For now, we still don’t have a definitive answer. N E W W O R D S 1. munitions - military weapons, ammunition, equipment, and stores Ex: Weapons, munitions and other equipment were all produced to support naval operations. 2. wishful thinking - the imagining or discussion of a very unlikely future event or situation as if it were possible and might one day happen Ex: We talked about buying a house someday, but right now it’s just wishful thinking. 3. assembly - a group of people gathered together in one place for a common purpose. Ex: An assembly of athletes gathered at the sports event. Q U E S T I O N S Share your thoughts briefly. 1. Do you think that music can change your mood or productivity? 2. Do you think increased productivity in the workplace depends on the music being played? 3. What are your pros and cons about playiing music during work time?

Pollution Affects Us More Than You Might Think In the future, the police may begin monitoring pollution levels in their cities and respond to areas where pollution levels are highest that day. Why? Because new studies show that air pollution is linked to mental health problems, poorer performance in school, and higher levels of crime. These findings are worrisome because air pollution kills approximately seven million people each year. The World Health Organization says that nine out of ten of us frequently breathe in dangerous levels of polluted air. In 2011, Sefi Roth, a researcher at the London School of Economics, conducted a study to see if air pollution affects academic performance. Roth and his team studied students taking exams in the same place on different days – and measured the level of air pollution on those days. He found that on the most polluted days, test scores decreased significantly. However, on days where the air quality was cleanest, students performed better. In 2018, Roth’s research team analyzed two years of crime data taken from more than 600 different areas in London. They found that in both rich and poor areas, more petty crimes occurred on the most polluted days. They also studied specific clouds of pollution that traveled to different parts of the city with the wind. He explains, “We found that wherever it goes, crime rate increases.” Levels of pollution that the US Environmental Protection Agency classifies as “good” were still strongly linked to higher crime rates. Studies conducted by Jackson Lu of Massachusetts Institute of Technology have shown that just thinking about pollution can affect us psychologically. Lu showed participants photos of an extremely polluted city and asked them to imagine themselves living there versus a clean city. The participants' anxiety increased, and they became more self-focused – two responses that could increase aggressive behavior. Lu says, “So, by elevating people's anxiety, air pollution can have a detrimental effect on behavior.” N E W W O R D S p1. etty - small or of little importance Ex: The meeting spent too much time on petty issues and didn't address the real problem. 2. classify - assign (someone or something) to a particular class or category Ex: The film has been classified as category III in Hong Kong, meaning it can only be shown to persons aged over 18. 3. detrimental - causing harm or damage These chemicals have a detrimental effect on the environment. Q U E ST I O N S 1. Do you agree that there is a link between pollution and increased crime? 2. Does pollution affect you personally? 3. What can you do to help change the environment you live in?

Lack of Water and Excess Salt Can Make Us Fat It is a well-known fact/ that the Western diet/ is not healthy./ Too much sugar,/ carbohydrates,/ and bad fats/ make many Westerners ill/ and fat./ Portion sizes are too big,/ and people spend most of their lives/ in front of a PC,/ on an electronic device,/ or in front of the TV./ Lack of exercise and poor diet/ has led to high levels of obesity/ among both adults/ and children./ And many diseases can be linked/ to this poor lifestyle./ Diabetes,/ strokes,/ heart attacks,/ some cancers,/ and dementia/ are said to be caused by poor diet/ and lack of exercise./ However,/ a doctor in the US/ has been researching/ other things/ that may contribute to obesity/ using rats/ that live on salty diets/ with little water./ He has discovered/ that not drinking enough water/ and overeating salt/ can affect/ hormones,/ especially/ if too many carbohydrates/ are eaten./ The body becomes confused/ and creates/ and stores/ sugar and fats./ As a result,/ people become obese/ and develop diseases/ that could be prevented./ Drinking eight tall glasses of water daily/ and reducing the amount of salt/ and carbohydrates eaten/ could prevent obesity/ and disease./ It is an easy/ and cheap way/ to stay healthy./ N E W W O R D S 1. obesity - the fact of being extremely fat, in a way that is dangerous for health Ex: The National Institute of Health is discussing ways of tackling the problem of childhood obesity. 2. prevent - to stop (something) from happening or existing Ex: Seatbelts in cars often prevent serious injuries. 3. reduce - to make (something) smaller in size, amount, number, etc. Ex: We are trying to reduce our debt. D I S C U S S I O N Please answer briefly. 1. Do you agree that we should eat less carbohydrates, sugar, and salt to stay healthy? Why or why not? 2. Do you agree that results of studies using rats should not be applied to humans until trials have been completed? Please support your answer. 3. Have you noticed a big difference in people's weight and fitness levels in your country in recent years? Please discuss. 4. Would you agree that people drink more water these days? Why or why not? 5. Would you agree that the multi-billion-dollar health and fitness industry isn't creating healthier people? Please support your answer.

Gossip Can Be Beneficial Gossip often gets a bad rap as being simply an unsubstantiated rumor, but it does play a key part in the way the world works. Evolutionary psychologist Robin Dunbar says that language has evolved to enable people to gossip as a means of passing on socially useful information to each other. This type of talk can serve to promote social harmony and diffuse conflict. Even so, there are many who believe it would be best if gossip were eliminated in the workplace. It is true that negative judgments can be made through gossip, but it can also be associated with compassion and empathy towards co-workers. Gossip can also be an expression of concern about unethical or unprofessional behavior within an organization. When the topic of gossip is about poor workplace practices, it can serve as a signal that changes need to be made. Globally, perceptions of gossip are changing. The #MeToo movement and the rise of 'speak up cultures' are providing environments that encourage people to speak the truth. Whistleblowing is crucial for exposing misconduct and hidden issues that can threaten an open society. The pandemic has also highlighted the benefits of gossip. Lockdowns took away many opportunities for casual conversations. As social restrictions lift, many may now realize how important these little moments of communication can be for social bonding and cooperation. DISCUSSION 1. Do you think that gossip is a problem in most workplaces? Why or why not? 2. Do you think that technology has increased the amount of gossip? Please discuss. 3. Do you think that you would have the courage to be a 'whistleblower' at work? Please share your thoughts. 4. Do you think that gossip can make people feel closer to one another? Why or why not?

Weight Loss: What to Consider on Your Journey Why is it so hard to lose weight? It’s a question many, if not most, people have asked themselves. There are many obvious reasons as to why weight loss might be difficult for a person—food is delicious, exercise is difficult, not to mention it takes a lot of dedication to see results. However, a common problem for many dieters lies in their ineffective planning and a refusal to set clear goals. Setting yourself a long-term goal is crucial to success. If you approach weight loss with a short-term attitude, you risk finding yourself yo-yo dieting, whereby you constantly gain and lose weight. Without a long-term approach to weight loss, you may lose weight fast initially, but then suffer a rebound when you discover that the regimen wasn’t working for you. This is all too common when people embark on fad diets that promise rapid weight loss. Part of the key to successful, sustainable weight loss—that is, losing the weight and keeping it off for good—is understanding that fad diets rarely work. The general recommendation for weight loss is a rate of one to two pounds per week, although initial weight loss might surpass that for people who are very overweight, and then slow down to the suggested one to two pounds per week. Awareness of these numbers helps you to plan achievable and effective goals, allowing you to accurately measure your progress. Many people who struggle with a short-term attitude also struggle with an all-or-nothing mindset. This mindset can keep you in a perpetual cycle of lose-gain-lose, not to mention shame and guilt around food. Finding a balance is crucial. Nutrition and exercise are only two components of a healthy life that can lead to weight loss. While important, too strong of a focus on nutrition and exercise can distract you from your overall goal. N E W W O R D S 1. regimen /ˈredʒ.ə.mən/ - any set of rules about food and exercise that someone follows, especially in order to improve their health His doctor put him on a strict regimen of exercise and low-fat food. 2. surpass /sɚˈpæs/ - to do or be better than: The book's success has surpassed everyone's expectations. D I S C U S S I O N 1. Do you agree that diet is more important than exercise when it comes to losing weight? Do you agree that there is more to losing weight than just diet and exercise? 2. Are you health conscious? Why and why not? 3. Please share with us your diet. What are your struggles with food and what did you do to overcome it?